In a society where high technology, big business and the Internet have taken center stage, Israelis are also learning to preserve their bodies like never before.
This phenomena can be attributed to a growing awareness of the environment’s impact on the body, as well as the seemingly increasing importance of physical looks.
Israel’s Laser Industries, a leader in surgical laser applications, has recently developed new technology to achieve these goals.
“Since the early ’70s, we have been a tradition-based company that produced lasers for major surgeries involving ear, nose, throat and other general surgeries,” said president and chief operation officer Yacha Sutton.
“But in 1993, we decided to expand from our hospital-based market and began developing new applications.”
One of the first laser procedures launched by the company was the FeatherTouch SilkLaser System, an instrument used to treat a full range of aesthetic skin resurfacing cases in significantly reduced procedure time. Using the specially designed laser, physicians erase lines and wrinkles, soften acne and surgical scars, and restore flesh.
Rena Karinn, a 60-year-old Jerusalem resident, had the 20-minute, relatively painless surgery to remove wrinkles from around her mouth.
“I got the name of a doctor after I was fed up with my wrinkles and decided to try the laser surgery,” the Bank of Israel employee explains. “At first I was nervous since I was not familiar with this type of surgery. But in the end I got the results I wanted.”
“There are two kinds of wrinkles which we treat by evaporation,” explains Dr. Michael Slatkine, vice president of development for Laser Industries.
“There are fine wrinkles and deep wrinkles. Fine wrinkles are found around the mouth and deep wrinkles between the nose and the lips. It is the same process for each procedure. The difference is how deep we go with the laser.”
Laser Industries has also adapted one of its lasers to help people sleep better. Millions of people, particularly the husbands and wives of chronic snorers, suffer from its effects. Slatkine learned first-hand about this practical surgery when he was cured of his long-time snoring problem after a single session.
“The procedure was so simple that I had the operation done during a break in a workshop I was giving,” he recalls.
The process, which takes 10 minutes with local anesthesia, evaporates and shortens the uvula in the throat, the small hanging organ you see when you open your mouth wide.
The procedure, introduced four years ago, has seen more than 200,000 snorers cured, both in Israel and abroad. Treatment costs from $1,500 to $2,000 for a session.
Another application where the laser has been applied is to hair restoral.
Using local anesthesia, up to 2,000 hairs are implanted in one single session using a special laser that drills recipient holes for the hair graft. One of the reasons for the growing popularity of this process, according to the company, is that there is no bleeding and little pain. The end result is a full head of hair in six months. The cost is somewhat hairy though — between $10,000 and $15,000.
A new laser to remove unwanted hair from various parts of the body is currently awaiting final approval.
Laser Industries’ annual revenues provide proof that it has tapped in on Israelis’ growing desire to remain younger longer. Since implementation of the new applications in 1993, profits have skyrocketed from $30 million a year to an expected $60 million by the end of 1996.
“As long as people’s needs change,” says Sutton, “we are going to develop a laser that will meet their needs.”